|
 Durant gave him one anyway, scoring 31 points to lead the Thunder
to a 116-96 victory over the Jazz on Sunday afternoon at the
Chesapeake Energy Arena.
"The guy is tremendous to watch," Corbin said. "If you are a fan of
NBA basketball, he's incredible to watch. I like the attitude that
he plays with, with his talent. The guy just seems to really love to
play the game.
"He's one of the guys you would think even if he wasn't playing in
the NBA, he would be on some park somewhere playing in a basketball
game and competing at a high level."
After trailing by as many as 28 points, the Jazz (23-51) began to
chip away at the Thunder's lead. Spurred by guards Gordan Hayward
and Alec Burks and forward Derrick Favors, the Jazz pulled within 12
points with 30 seconds left in the third quarter.
However, Durant stopped the run by draining a 25-foot 3-pointer
before the buzzer to push the lead to 92-77 heading into fourth. As
Durant walked back to the bench, he gave Corbin a playful stare that
made Corbin laugh.
"That's who they are," Corbin said. "They understand the moment.
They tend to make big plays at big moments. Durant is certainly one
of the best in the league at doing it."
Durant's last-second 3-pointer seemed to right the Thunder ship.
Oklahoma City reserves closed out the fourth quarter and did not
allow the Jazz to make a serious run.
'"It was tough," Utah forward Marvin Williams said. "It almost took
the wind out of your sails to fight so hard and get back to that
position and to cut it to 12. But he makes an amazing shot over a
defender. It was a big shot."
Durant finished 9-of-13 from the field and had nine assists. In his
past two games, he is 18-of-24 from field, 7-of-10 from 3-point
range and 17-of-17 from the free throw line. He also extended his
scoring streak of at least 25 points to 38 games.
"I'm just going out there and playing my game," Durant said. "If it
happens, cool. If it doesn't, cool."
Guard Russell Westbrook posted 19 points, five rebounds and four
assists for the Thunder (54-19). Forward Caron Butler came off the
bench to score 15 points. Forward Serge Ibaka added 17 points and
four blocked shots.
Center Enes Kanter paced the Jazz with 18 points and 12 rebounds.
Forward Richard Jefferson scored 17 points and Favors had 13
rebounds and eight points.
[to top of second column] |
It did not take long for Oklahoma City to get rolling. It sprinted
out to a 20-4 lead and the Jazz looked lost.
"You can't just put your head down and you can't all of a sudden
start arguing with each other or questioning your game plan,"
Jefferson said. "When you score four points, or whatever that was,
it's a combination of a lot of things. Just a tough situation."
As Durant picked apart Utah's defense with a variety of shots, he
also opened up space for his teammates to get off uncontested shots.
Durant finished the first half with 18 points and four assists as
Oklahoma City led 59-40.
But it was the team's defense that set the tone that carried
throughout the game.
"I feel like we need to start the game off more defensively and I
thought we've done that the past two games," Westbrook said. "We
just have to continue to keep that going."
NOTES: The Thunder took time out Saturday to make surprise visits to
fans across the area. C Kendrick Perkins and F Kevin Durant spent
the day bringing gift cards to different shops across Oklahoma City
in what the franchise is calling the Thunder Acts of Kindness. ...
Utah G Alec Burks had missed the previous four games with a sprained
ankle. "He's an attacker," Utah coach Tyrone Corbin said. "He can
put pressure on the rim. We relied on too many perimeter shots with
him out." ... Oklahoma City G Reggie Jackson missed his second
consecutive game with a mid-back sprain. He is day to day.
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
